Local Bounty

I made a trip to the freezer this morning and once again realized how very blessed we are to have such wonderful food in such abundance.
How wonderful to open the door on the big chest freezer to find such delights - locally grown pork, beef and lamb, venison, oven roasted tomato sauce, sweet corn, edamame, zucchini, sweet peas, rhubarb, blueberries, string beans, shell beans, applesauce, apple cider. Then there are the storage crops - potatoes, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, onions, shallots, winter squash. Add the dried beans, dehydrated tomatoes and peppers, canned salsa, tomatoes, beans ... you get the picture? This is truly a picture of eating locally – even in the dead of winter in northcentral Pennsylvania.
Here's the soup of the day - bird egg beans, butternut squash, shallots, tomatoes, and dried sage – all from our farm along with Wooleylot Farm garlic. Topped with toasted pumpkin seeds and a bit of grated Parmesan, we enjoyed a nutritious and delicious lunch.

Waiting for a simmer to develop

Squash and Bird Egg Bean Soup

In a splash of olive oil, gently saute chopped shallots for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt, some freshly-ground pepper and then add a couple of cloves of crushed garlic. Stir for a minute or so to release the flavor. Add a peeled and chopped butternut squash (other varieties of winter squash would work well too), some crushed dried sage, a pint jar of tomatoes and a pouch of frozen bird egg beans. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash pieces and beans are cooked through. Remove some of the vegetables and some of the liquid and puree with a stick blender. Return to the pot, bring back to a simmer and stir in a handful of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and a little more grated Parmesan.